Top 5 Big Wave Rescue Courses In The World.

1) Big Wave Risk Assessment Group - Hawaii, USA

Top of the Olympus | In Memory of Sion Milosky.

The best of the best: legendary big wave surfers cover ocean safety, breath-holds, CPR and jetski pick-ups during their annual gathering on the North Shore of Oahu.

After the tragic loss of Sion Milosky during a double wave hold down at Mavericks in 2011, some of his fellow big wave surfing friends came together to organize a safety training to share ocean safety knowledge and CPR training. This event initially started as an "invite-only" for the top big wave chargers in the world.

Every year the annual training curriculum grew and brought together expert knowledge on:

CPR & First Aid (Pamela Foster from Hawaiian Heart Foundation)

Forecasting history with:

Breathold techniques with Freedive International

Best of all... crazy amount of significant wave expertise coming from all the participants, all highly skilled, seasoned big wave surfers from around the world.

Over the years the annual course, traditionally held every December on the North Shore of Oahu, has now opened up to surfers of all levels and has traveled to Chile, Portugal, and California on different times of the year.

This is the course you'll need to complete to even qualify for a Patagonia PSI or Quicksilver AirLift vest.

3) The Irish Tow Surf Rescue Club - Ireland

Proven & Tested Ocean Survival Skills | Welcome to Die-Hard Camp.

The Irish Tow Surf Rescue Club was created by underground big wave chargers in Ireland who needed to turn legislation around so that they could provide their own safety with PWC. These guys surf harsh, brutal condition in raw, north Atlantic blistering storms. The big waves here are cold and hallucinating shallow. The big wave surf community here is self-reliant.

Their Big Wave Survival Course is by demand only. Three days of practical training: A lot of water time combined with a deep understanding of the PWC top of with medical advice from firefighter and EMT Peter Conroy.

Although this course is newer than K38 and not as tropical as the B.W.R.A.G. in Hawaii, the lads here really know their shit, and they will make sure you do too by the time you leave.

4) Step Up To Bigger Waves - South Africa

Step Up Into Bigger Surf Workshop Having seen a desperate need to equip surfers with the ability to tackle some of the largest and heaviest waves on this planet.- Chris Bertish

Where: South Africa

When: By Booking Only

Who: Chris Bertish

Big wave surfers? Yes.

Chris Bertish

Water practice: No

Breath-hold training: No

PWC technical info: No

Booklets: Yes

Training schedules: Yes

Cost:?

Extreme Knowledge | Focussed around 3 Big Wave spots in South Africa.

Chris Bertish is one of a kind. Besides winning Mavericks in the most brutal contest conditions ever (2010, when set waves washed spectators off the beach) Chris has spent a lifetime chasing big waves as is doing things previously considered impossible. In 2017 he paddled across the Atlantic Ocean on an S.U.P. Die-hard beyond believe.

If you ever have a chance to take this course do it! It will be a class taught by one of the most unique and seasoned watermen that ever paddled the oceans.

5) K38 Rescue - Global Network

K38 Water Safety USA has been providing water safety coverage since 1998-1999 ISA@Reef Todos Santos event and at other big wave surfing venues around the world. Instructor Shawn Alladio has trained several teams for the purpose of event big wave safety management at the request of promoters or surfing associations to provide coverage using Rescue Water Craft (RWC).

Where: Global

When: By Booking Only

Who: Shaun Adillo

Big wave surfers? Unknown

Water practice: Yes

Breath-hold training: No

PWC technical info: Yes

Booklets: Yes

Training schedules: No

Cost:?

Where it all started - Professional P.W.C. focussed training.

Looking at the top big wave surfers in the world and the rescue teams that support them, it is almost impossible to find anyone who did not go through K38 training at some point in their career. This organization has laid the foundation and continues to lead the way in training the world's elite operators. \

Shawn Alladio founded Personal Water Craft training in 1989, added military training in 1996 and created big wave surfing Personal Water Craft training in 1998.

This is also the only organization that has an established affiliate network that spans the globe:

K38 USA

K38 Italy

K38 UK

K38 Japan

K38 Poland

K38 Oceania ( Australia + New Zealand and Oceania)

K38 Canary Islands

K38 Scandinavia

K38 Latin America

The above K38 video comes with an awesome disclaimer urging everyone to take a certified course. We hear you K38, so here's the disclaimer in full.

"Disclaimer: K38 USA does not endorse viewers to use K38 videos as training aids. K38 endorses viewers to register for a certified course, come prepared to train, test your capability, if you succeed, you earn the rewards of vetting through professional development. Take a certified course that represents the area of expertise. Then practice and develop your skill sets. An RWC course alone does not prepare a student for real-world pressures and realities, it is merely the first step in a long process. You must be prepared, proper PPE, physical and mental conditioning equipment. You must stay current in the standards and best practices. This video in no way represents training aids. There may be actions in this video that are corrected during training that are not covered by the viewer and misinterpreted. View at your own discretion but do not use and place yourself and others at risk for common training standards, this is not a training aid."